God’s Presence Our Comfort
We keep telling our story even when our story is ugly. We keep showing up because God’s goodness, His holy presence is not equivalent to our comfort.
themessymingling.com
Tag: hard
Why Homosexuality is Good for the Church
I want to take a bull horn into every congregation and tell everyone that it is okay to stop being silent. It’s okay to step into difficult conversations. It’s okay to dig deeper into what you believe. It’s okay to listen. It’s okay to love. Loving others isn’t scary. It doesn’t say that you affirm every single thing they do. It says you care. It shows you value their humanity. That’s Jesus.
Take a Hike, 2018
Oh, 2018.
I could write an entire blog post just about the bad things that have happened this year. Floods. Illness. Death. It seems especially difficult on the back side. But, there is a part of me that wants to hold onto you for a bit. There is something about taking you all in, 2018; even the tough stuff.
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Every year matters. Every day. Every moment. They matter. If I wish them all away, then I am saying they don’t matter. And if I say they don’t matter, than ultimately, I am saying God doesn’t matter.
A few hours after we told the boys about our dog, he couldn’t sleep. My eldest came down and asked me to pray for him. He had some questions first.
Why do bad things happen to good people?
Is it okay to question if God is real?
What if I don’t feel Him?
Tough stuff. But, such GOOD stuff. We talked through his questions and then we prayed. When I was done, he asked me if he could pray and add onto what I had said. Of course I told him yes! He let God know that he didn’t really think He was real for a moment. But, this trial, the pain of losing his dog, led him to press into his faith a little more feeling God’s presence in the pressing.
This right here is why I can’t wish away 2018.
I can’t always answer the “why’s”. I honestly don’t think we are always supposed to know why. What I can do is look for the nudges. Every time we have received or experience some terrible no good news in a terrible no good situation, God has met me there. Every time.
When my dad had a stroke earlier this year, I prayed on the way to the ER letting God know He was going to have to show up for me. I told Him I wasn’t going to be able to do this if He didn’t show Himself to me. And you know what? He showed up. He showed up in a peace that I could not explain. He showed up in sweet time with my sister where we could just be together with no agenda. He showed up in my husband jumping in and doing what needed to be done so I could be there for my dad. He showed up.
God showed up when Charlotte started struggling. She waited for us to get home so that our friends who were watching the boys while we were away did not have to deal with such a horrible situation. He kept the boys asleep so they didn’t have to see the horror of their dog suffering. He let the situation to be quick and not drawn out.
He gave me friends who have loved on us deep and wide and big. He gave me a big huge bright blue sky and a beautiful day to enjoy. He gave me time away with my husband and rest.
Without the bad, there wouldn’t be any of the good.
I don’t want to wish 2018 away. I don’t want to wish any of it away. My life wouldn’t be as full and rich with a piece of it missing. The good sustains me. The bad helps me see and appreciate the good. It helps me realize my need for Him.
As 2019 nears, don’t wish 2018 away. Relish in all its messy beauty. That’s the thing about life, faith, and their messy mingling. It’s complex. Disheveled. Scruffy. Tousled. Tangled. Beautiful. It’s all necessary. Every moment. Every breath. All of it.
Rest in the story. Let it press into your soul even when it stings. Because that pressing leads to the glorious.
Love & Blessings,
Meg
Rooted in Faith so Self-Care Becomes the Norm
Self-Care. A 2018 buzz word. We all know taking care of ourselves is important; a necessity. No one can work from a depleted spirit. We are all searching. Searching for rest. A break from the busy. A break from the news. A moment to relax …
Thorny People
If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3
Paul spent a lot of time in Corinth. He knew the people well. When he received word that there was division within the church, he was prompted to write his letters to Corinth. This is where we find ourselves when we read the all too familiar 1 Corinthians chapter 13. This chapter is known to us as the “love chapter.” What we fail to realize more often than not, is that this chapter of the Bible was written because the people of the time were struggling to show love. Not only were they struggling with this whole love thing, they were not loving their brothers and sisters in Christ. It wasn’t like they were being unkind to strangers. They were divisive within their own family: the church.
Sounds familiar, right? It is not unusual for us to see division within the church. Many non-believers hold firm to church division being the reason they do not attend. As much as we don’t want to see ourselves in the reflections of the pages of the Bible, we often find ourselves in exactly this space.
Loving others is hard. Doing life with people is hard. Loving others can be exhausting. It can take everything from you and out of you. It takes sacrifice. And stamina. Loving others takes self-control (hello…biting our tongues). And sometimes, we need a little reminder to love. Loving others can be thankless and go unseen. But Jesus, Jesus loved us to the point He sweat blood for us. Loving others can be hard. But, I promise you, it’s worth it.
Loving others scares us. We don’t ever want to admit our fear, but we are scared. We fear that loving others somehow conveys approval. That loving others excuses poor behavior; or even hurtful behavior. I am here to tell you that loving others does not relinquish others of their responsibility for their actions. Loving others does not grant them permission to continue hurting you. Instead, loving others opens the door to inexplicable, undeserving, unrelenting grace. Loving others ushers in an opportunity for others to see Jesus.
I want that.
I want to be a part of that.
What kind of place are you for people to land? Are you thorny or soft? Can people lean into you without getting cut? Can they wrestle with hard things, have a different opinion, and make mistakes around you without feeling like they are going to get pricked by your thorns? What kind of place are you? Thorny? Or soft?
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1
Are you stirring up gentleness or anger? Do you have everything but feel like something is missing? Paul and Proverbs remind us the importance of love; to not be afraid to love.
I recently saw a church billboard that said, “Go out and love. I’ll take care of the rest.” ~God If we believe God is who He says He is, then it is time we start allowing God to be God. Our job is to bring people to His alter. We need to leave space for Him to do the rest.
“What if we found out that God’s big plan for our lives is that we wouldn’t spend so much of our time trying to figure out a big plan for our lives? Perhaps he just wants us to love him and love each other.” Everybody Always, Bob Goff
Love & Blessings,
Meg
It’s a Hard-Knock Life
Life is hard sometimes, isn’t it? If we aren’t facing challenges in our personal lives, we witness hardships in others’ lives. Alcoholism Financial Distress Anger Fear Distrust Anxiety Depression Insecurity Miscarriage Marital strife Broken Relationships There’s my list. These are things that feel broken; that …